Focus on: Royal Docks – Royal Albert Wharf is a trendy new neighbourhood October 29, 2021 Stretching 4km along the northerly banks of the River Thames, the Royal Docks, in the London Borough of Newham, were originally built for importing and exporting goods during the Industrial Revolution. Closed in the 1980s, they have been undergoing a great deal of regeneration over the last decade, with a diverse array of residential, commercial [...]
Let there be light: Where to buy neon art for your home October 29, 2021 Ever fancied turning a spare room into a screening room for cosy nights in? Last year I gutted my spare room and my shower room in an ill-conceived bid for some lockdown home improvements (sounds familiar?), then, having turned my home upside down, I found myself time-poor and have been living with the mess ever [...]
Confidence in property market goes up despite end of Stamp Duty holiday October 29, 2021 UK buyers are increasingly becoming more positive when it comes to the property market, despite the Stamp Duty holiday coming to an end at the end of last month. Data from OnTheMarket’s property sentiment index revealed that, within the next three months, 74 per cent of active UK buyers firmly believed they would buy a [...]
Exclusive: ‘London needs to take a leaf out of Dorset’s book,’ argues veteran City lawyer October 28, 2021 As restrictions have eased, office doors reopened and professionals flock back into the City, life is once again teeming in London. However, as living priorities and sustainability targets have evolved post-pandemic, London must ensure that it remains attractive, liveable and sustainable in the long-run. A formula that has proven to create eco-friendly and community-focused residential [...]
China’s small cities barred from reaching for the stars with sky scraping vanity projects October 28, 2021 China has put limits on smaller cities, restricting their ability to build “super high-rise buildings”, for fear of indulging in too many vanity projects. The country, home to the largest number of tall buildings in the world, has already banned buildings taller than 500 metres – which joins another ban on “ugly architecture” from earlier [...]
Second home buyers dodge bullet of stamp duty rise for now October 28, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak may have taken a last minute decision not to increase the stamp duty surcharge paid by landlords and second home buyers. The government had planned to hike the three percentage point surcharge on additional property purchases to four percentage points, first reported by the Daily Telegraph. In the economic and fiscal outlook, [...]
Foxtons reports strong results as renters return in droves to London October 28, 2021 Estate agent Foxtons has reported strong third quarter results, driven by sales transactions at their highest level in five years and rental tenants returning to their pre-Covid living arrangements in the City. The sales and lettings agency reported sales revenue of £38.3m, up 114 per cent from £17.9m in the third quarter last year, and [...]
Budget 2021: Levy for property developers to fund removal of unsafe cladding October 27, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has reiterated plans for a levy for property developers to help create a fund to remove unsafe cladding. Speaking at the Budget, Sunak said property developers with profits over £25m will face a levy at a rate of 4 per cent. This will be used to help create a £5bn fund to [...]
Calls for at least £15bn funding for remediation works to tackle cladding crisis October 26, 2021 The government has been called on to announce more funding to tackle the cladding crisis at tomorrow’s Budget. Law firm Irwin Mitchell also called for measures including giving leaseholders up-front government funding for remediation works, with no repayment obligation. While the government has announced £5bn to address the issue so far, the sum required is [...]
Ikea snaps up former Topshop Oxford St flagship for £378m October 26, 2021 IKEA has bought the former Topshop flagship store for £378m on Oxford St. The 214 Oxford St store was formerly owned by Arcadia, before the demise of fashion brands Topshop and Topman. Now, the Swedish-origin furniture giant is set to open up in autumn 2023, after the site was bought by Ingka Investments, the investment [...]